Shoe



F. M F UFEBER SHOE {Original ilm Scpu (a 1918 Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK M. FURBER, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSZGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SHOE.

Application flied September 8, 1918, Serial No. 252.868.

To all wriom it may concern.

lie it known that, l, FREDERICK M. FUKBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Revere, in the ct. nty of Suifolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain 1m provenients in Shoes, of which the follow ing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several iigures.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of shoes and more especially has to do with shoes provided with improved shoc bottom elements adapted to replace that portion of the shoe bottom which is commonly termed the tillcr". in other as pects, the invention relates to a novel sheer stocl; filler and to a novel shoe bottom unit including an outsole and an attached tiller. LIOIQUVLJ', the present invention is in the nature of a further development of the invention set forth in a prior cop miing application tiled by the present appli ant on December 4, llllti, Serial No. iltlihbtlz.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide a welt shoe embodying an improvcd tiller shaped to occupy the recess hetwcen the ontsole and insole and within the inseam and thereby increase the serviceability of the shoe and render it more comfortaole throughout its life than shoes embodying' tillers heretofore used.

'ith this object in YlOW, the invention, in one aspect, comprises a shoe in which there is interposed between the insole and outsole an intermediate sheet-stock tiller of nonplast ic, and preferably non-compressi. hie, material recessed to present on its insole engaging face a concavity under the ballof the foot and a gradually increasing thickness outwardly in all directions therefrom and to present on its outsole-engaging face a convex surface of less curvature than the concavity of its insole-engaging face. In another aspect, the invention p ovides a. bottom unit, as an article of manufacture, which comprises such a filler oi varying thickness attached to an outsole which is shaped to the lateral and longitudinal curvatures desired in the completed shoe. The novel filler, considered more specifically, he sides having a. thickness decreasing to a minimum under the hall of the foot, is also peripherally contoured so as approximately Renewed January 13, 1923.

to fill the recess at the forepart of the shoe within the inseam and between the soles.

The invention will now he described with the aid of the accompanying drawings and will then he more definitely pointed out in the claims.

1 is a longitudinal section through a shoe embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the hall portion of the shoe.

Fig. 15 is a plan view of a preferred form of the tiller itself.

in the accompanying drawings a shoe of the Goodyear welt type is illustrated, i designatin the shoe upper, 4 the insole and t; the welt, the three parts being secured together by the stitches 8 to the rib 10 formed on the insole and the outsole 12 wed to the projecting portion of the Welt. ii will he noted hat a recess or space remains within the inner edge of the welt or insem'n and between the insole i and the outs lc l2 which space has heretofore been Iillci'l with a plastic compound termed a "lillcr.

In accordance with the present invention a unitary shoe-bottom element or filler is provided to occupy the recess within the inseam ot' the shoe bottom. In the illustrated emlmdimcnt the tiller 1i consists of a material which is tough, non-resilient, or inelastic, non-plastic and substantially noncompressihle under the weight of the body 0 to ma ntain constantly its normal. thickness and which Will resist disintegration, separation or change of position liroaghl about by the human foot under the conditions of pressure, iemperature and wear to which shoes are constantl subjected. Also, this material is pro erahly of a water-excluding character and wearrcsisting to a certain degree and it can he died out to the peripheral contour desired and can he Flfl'flf'l'l to a "rarying thickness t"tili fii fili illlfj f? the space which it is to oc upy in the shoe. 1. have found by can perhm-ut that a suitable materialv for this purpose is compressed felt impregnated vith hitum ous or like material so as to he imafli by moisture or any heat to which tin. he may be subjected under ordinary conditions of use and at the same time provide a. substantially non-compressible and flexible body.

ninter'nl of which the i provided in sheet for thickness and the fillers tor the various sin s and styles of shoes are died n a similar manner to leather Uzltfll tiller preferably contour iltllliii-Ptlfliiifl the shape of the re of the particular size of t it is to he used. is shown of the drawings the depth v m l tilled varies considerably notla lrnnsrcri and longitudinally of the his! lo this being due to the dili'erenee in curvatures hetween the bottom of the last, to which the insole l conforms and the outsole 12% when it is seated upon the shoe bottom. The i'inttoin of the last is contoured to correspond approxinnitely to the contour of ihe bottom of the foot and accordingly the portion of the last bottom underlying the hall of theiloot indicated at 18 is cousideralely lower than adjacent portions and the transverse curvature oi the last bottom.

\lllll as to cause the loot engaging surlace all Hi she insole to present it correspondingly curred surface for that portion of the foot Also, .he lest is curved longh tnd nnlly to provide the proper amount of "spring" for the shoe at the too. On the other hand, the nulsole 12 is required to present 11. substantially lmrieontal transverse surface to furnish a broad walking surface for the shoe and a substantially flat tread surfzire from the toe to the hall line of the shoe. 'l'hcsc. dillrr-znccs in curvatures vary the depth ol' the: rm H nilhin the inseain at dillcr nt points, the maximum depth being Ul'kllllillllj along the margin of the recess and iidjin-ent to the inseam as illustrated in Fig :3, While the minimum depth is at portion shown. In order that conform accurately to the wilt with die to the lower upper surface of the insole and at the some time provide a suitably shaped sort-ice upon which to sent the outsn lc :1 the thickness of the tiller is varied approxiniatel according to the varying depth nlidhe recess in which it is to fit. Conveniently this is eccorn dished by removing from a, predeterinineil portion of the upper surface of the filler material one or more sliirings of suitable thickness to ade'i, thc tiller to the required curvature. A mnrhiue which may be readily used for this purpose is one like that. shown in Patent, No. (371,072, ,Q rantcd Apr. 2, 1901, on 'uppli cation of .l. 1!. Scott. In utilizing this umchine the matrix into which the inalerial is lforced l the presser roll to bring the desired portion of it against the skiving knife prel'eralily shaped to remove an ellipticallys haped sltiring somewhat as indicated a Liz. l'loin the upper surface of the filler ol an area which will produce a ale-creasing thl nrss ol the lilh-r from near its miter margin, as shown in L3 and 3. An additional decrease in thwthiclinei s of the lillcr is also preferably provided snhdanopposite the hall of the loot at :36.

rising at sltiring machine or other snitmeans to reduce the thickness of each tiller to rinrespond to the varying depths of the mcc-s the lillers can he conformed :n-i-aratcly to the particular requirements olm"l1 l? and style of shotand while they \orstitntc in this respect llilllYll ml tillers they only he made more econoinieall)" and at less cost than tillers nhich are indepcnth enlly molded to the cont ur of each shoe.

For incorporating the tiller in the shoe it is preferably lirst attached to the upper n1 flesh side of the outsole which is also to he incorporated in the shoe. The attachment of the tiller it and the outsole 1-2 is preferably accomplished hy an adhesive cement which will permanently hold the two members in a close union and exvlude'wutcr. This is of considerable practical value not only lltttillr-D it insures against even a slight shilling ol' tlc liller in the shoe but also liccnnsc it acts to exclude nn water from in tween the lower surface of the tiller and the adjacent sdit'acc of the outsole alter the sole has heroine worn through to the lillcr. This couihincd lillcr and onlsole,roihtitilting a I1()\'ll shoe holloni unlit in :i' featur of the i i-r sen! invention. 'l his unit i nppliml to the show, the lil er hiring inserted in th- '0' him facilitating; the proper positi ning ol' the outsoh: on the shoe through the eng gunn-ut ol' the edge of the liller at it plurality ol points with the insole I'll). The outsolc is then secured to the welt of the shoe in the usual manner.

It will he seen that with a tiller such as above described :i compact and wcanrcsist ing bottom is provided for the shoe By reason of the minimum thickness of the tiller at a point which comes under the hall of the foot and the gradually increasing thickness both longitudinally and transversely therefrom, the tiller approximately lills the rece s within the inseam and between the insole and the ontsole so that the contour of the insole to correspond to that of the loot is maintained. With the present plastic tillcrs, the tendency of the foot to roll or trend over either to one side or the other ol the shoe due to weakness in the muscles of the foot or other causes is aggravated because the shifting of the filler to the oppositeside of the shoe under the abnormal pressure exerted upon it helps to throw the foot in the direction of the roll with the result that the pose of the person wearing the shoe is jll ll ill?! thrown out of balance. This condition also lessens the serviceability of the shoe because the displacement of the filler causes the sole to bulge out and consequently that portion is subject to greater Wear and abrasion than other portions of the tread. By providing a filler which conforms'accurately to the contour imparted to the insole by the last and to the outsole and which is substantially non-compressible and nondisplaceable, the insole and outsolc are permanently maintaincd in their relative conformations during the life of the shoe. Moreover, since the filler is of a character which will resist the pressure of the foot and especially any ab normal pressure by reason of the tendency of the foot to tread to either side, the foot is not continually subject to strain when Walking and the tread surface of the sole is not placed under a localized abrasion during wear of the shoe. The importance of a shoe bottom which will maintain the pro er balance of the foot on the walking sur ace and prevent it from running over can not be overestimated when it is appreciated that such a condition depreciates the service ability and appearance of the shoe, to a larger extent than the actual abrasion on the shoe, by distorting the sole and the shoe lpPLI', wearing the heels of the shoes unevenly and straining and twisting the seams onnecting the various shoe parts.

Having described my invention in conection with the accompanying drawings, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A sheet-stock shoe-bottom filler of nonplastic material shaped approximately to fill the recess at the forepart within the inseam and between the insole and the outsole of a welt shoe and having a thickness gradually decreasing longitudinally and transversely to a minimum at the portion which comes under the ball of the foot in the shoe.

2. A sheet-stock shoe-bottom filler of nonlastic material peripherally contoured to t within the inseam of a welt shoe and presenting substantially its full thickness at its edge around the toe end and skived to a minimum thickness at the portion which comes under the ball of the foot in the shoe.

3. A shoe comprising an insole, an outsole and an intermediate sheet-stock shoe bottom filler of non-plastic material recessed to present on its insole-engaging face a concavity under the ball of the foot and a gradually increasing thickness outwardly in all directions therefrom and to present on its outsole-engaging face a convex surface of less curvature than the concavity f its insole-engaging face.

4. A Welt shoe comprising a ribbed insole, an outsole and an intermediate sheetstock shoe-bottom filler of non-resilient and nonplastic material recessed to present in the forepart a maximum thickness at its edge and a gradually decreasing thickness from near its edge inwardly over the ball area and peripherally contoured approximately to fill the recess Within the rib of the insole around the forepart and in the shank.

5. As an article of manufacture a shoe bottom unit comprising an outsolc shaped to the later 1 and longitudinal curvatures desired in t e completed shoe and an attached filler of non-compressible material shaped to present a thickness gradually decreasing to a minimum at the portion which comes under the ball of the foot in the shoe.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FREDERICK M. FURBER.

thrown out of balance. This condition also lessens the serviceability of the shoe because the displacement of the filler causes the sole to bulge out and consequently that portion is subject to greater wear and abrasion than other portions of the tread. By providing a filler whirh con forms accurately to the contour imparted to the insole by the last and to the outsole and which is substantially non-compressible and nondisplaceable, the insole and outsolc are permanently maintained in their relative conformations during the life of the shoe. Moreover, since the filler is of a character which will resist the pressure of the foot and especially any abnormal pressure by reason of the tendency of the foot to tread to either side, the foot is not continually subject to strain when walking and the tread surface of the sole is not placed under a localized abrasion during wear of the shoe. The importance of a shoe bottom which will maintain the pro )er balance of the foot on the walking sur ace and prevent it from running over can not be overestimated when it is appreciated that such a condition depreciatcs the serviceability and appearance of the shoe, to a larger extent than the actual abrasion on the shoe, by distorting the sole and the shoe upper, Wearing the heels of the shoes unevenly and straining and twisting the seams connecting the various shoe parts.

Having described my invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, I

' naim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A sheet-stock shoe-bottom filler of nonplastic material shaped approximately to fill the recess at the forepart Within the inseam and between the insole and the outsole of a welt shoe and having a thickness gradually decreasing longitudinally and transversely to a minimum at the portion which comes under the ball of the foot in the shoe.

2. A sheet-stock shoe-bottom tiller of nonlastic material peripherally contoured to ht within the inseam of a wait shoe and presenting substantially its full thickness at its edge around the toe end and slrived to a minimum thickness at the portion which comes under the ball of the foot in the shoe.

3. A shoe comprising an insole, an outsole and an intermediate sheet-stock shoebottom filler of nonlastic material recessed to present on its insole-engaging face a concavity under the ball of the foot and a gradually increasing thickness outwardly in all directions therefrom and to present on its outsole-engaging face a convex surface of less curvature than the concavity f its insole-engaging face.

4. A welt shoe comprising a ribbed insole, an outsole and an intermediate sheet-stock shoe-bottom filler of non-resilient and nonplastic material recessed to prcscnt in the forepart a maximum thickness at its edge and it gradually decreasing thickness from near its edge inwardly over the ball area and peripherally contoured approximately to fill the recess within the rib of the insole around the forepart and in the shank.

5. As an article of manufacture, a shoe bottom unit comprising an outsole shaped to the later 1 and longitudinal curvatures desired in t e completed shoe and an attached filler of non-compressible material shaped to present a thickness gradually decreasing to a minimum at the portion which comes under the ball of the foot in the shoe.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FREDERICK M. FURBER.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,582,260, granted April 27, 1926,

uponthc application of Frederick M. Furber, of Revere, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Shoes,

. ,7, correction as follows: Page 2, line 40, strike out the word upper an error appears in the printed specification requiring and that the said Letterslatent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

bigned and sealed this 13th day of July, A. D. 1926.

[emu] M. J. MOORE, Acting Gammissioner of Patents.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,582,260, granted April 27, 1926, upon the application of Frederick M. F urber, of Revere, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Shoes, an error appears in the printed specification requiring curlxgciion as follows: Page 2 line 45, strike out the Word upper; and that the said Letters' atent should he read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the rerord of the case in the Patent Office.

bigned and sealed this 13th day of July, A. D. 1926.

[SEAL] M. J. MOORE,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

